U-Haul with 53 animals inside abandoned near Publix in Spring Hill

On Tuesday afternoon, dispatchers got a call about an abandoned U-Haul truck full of animals near a Publix in Spring Hill, according to a news release from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies and animal control officers who had arrived at the scene opened the truck after hearing the distressed animals.

Inside the extremely hot truck they found 50 cats and 3 dogs in Tupperware-like containers, the release stated.

Law enforcement identified the driver of the truck and owner of the animals as Frances Terry Evans, who had been recently ordered to turn over the animals -- by that day -- to Pasco County officials. Officials believed she took the animals to that location in an effort to hide them from authorities, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Due to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the animals in such extreme heat, the animals recieved immediate emergency veterinary care.

Evans, 52, was issued one citation for 53 counts of Animal Abandonment. That's $500 per count for a whopper fine of $26,500. The State Attorney's Office later issued a warrant to arrest Evans for 53 counts of Animal Cruelty, with a total bond of $26,500.